England v West Indies: captain Andrew Strauss reveals one of his strike bowlers may be rested at Edgbaston

Andrew Strauss believes his side are unbeatable at home and it is a strength
which gives him the luxury of contemplating resting one of his world-class
fast bowlers for the final Test against the West Indies.

Facing rest?: Jimmy Anderson could be be left out of the third Test at Edgbaston to keep him spot on for South Africa seriesPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

England captains of the past could only dream of such a move against teams from the Caribbean but, after his seventh series win in home surroundings, Strauss can start planning for the next challenge, a rubber against South Africa which will determine which team top the ICC Test rankings.

He said his team had always felt unbeatable in England, “and so we should. We have home advantage, we know the conditions better than anyone else and we think we are a match for any side generally. It is the right attitude to have to think you can beat anyone at home. But you have to earn that right. If there is one thing these two Tests have shown us, it is that Test wins are not easily achieved and you have to work hard for them.”

The England management are believed to have discussed last week the possibility of rotating a fast bowler for the third Test at Edgbaston if they sealed the series here. But breaking the news to Stuart Broad, James Anderson or Tim Bresnan will be tough when there are easy wickets to be had against a frail West Indies top four which has managed only 203 runs combined in 16 innings.

The one-day series against the West Indies would seem to provide a natural break for the three seamers although Alastair Cook, the captain of the 50-over side, will want his strongest attack when Australia arrive for five matches before the Tests against South Africa.

“We will definitely think about it,” said Strauss. “We have always viewed resting and rotation as something you do on a case-by-case basis. We will speak to the seamers and see how they are feeling and see how good we are looking for the rest of the summer. You have always got to look quite a long way ahead when it comes down to resting someone. It is always a balance to strike because primarily you want to win every Test you play. But who would not want to play in a Test match? It is a difficult situation.”

Both Anderson and Broad were seen swallowing anti-inflammatory drugs before play at Trent Bridge as a West Indies spirited fightback forced England to work harder than expected for victory.

The win on Monday was Strauss’s sixth successive series victory since taking over the captaincy full time in 2009. A 2-0 scoreline and nine-wicket win here hides the contest this series has been, which at least gives Darren Sammy and Ottis Gibson, the West Indies captain and coach, some defence against critics back home impatient with their progress.

“When I took over this role two years ago I knew it was a tough task and it would take baby steps to get back to where we once were,” said Gibson. “Signs are there but it takes time and it is difficult to reverse 15 years of decline in two or three years.”